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Year after Taliban takeover, far more Afghan stalls at Delhi trade fair, but e-visa still an issue

From 11 last year, number of stalls is up to 28 at India International Trade Fair. There were 50-plus requests to participate but most didn't get e-visa, says Afghan official.

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New Delhi: The ongoing India International Trade Fair (IITF) — an annual event organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry at Delhi’s Pragati Maidan — saw more than double the number of Afghan stalls compared to the previous year. However, most of the traders are those who have been living and working in India prior to the Taliban takeover of Kabul.

Like previous years, 14 foreign countries, including Tunisia, Thailand, Turkey and Iran, have participated this time. There are also stalls from 29 Indian states and union territories. The fair began on 14 November and will open to the public on 19 November.

Speaking exclusively to ThePrint, Qadir Shah, Head of Trade Office (Counsellor), Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi, asserted that fairs like IITF are an ideal way for Afghan-origin products to reach the Indian market, and through India, international markets too.

“This year, this pavilion is important for Afghanistan because after two difficult years of Covid pandemic, Afghans are starting to resume their business. We have 28 stalls this year, and most of them are selling dry fruits, carpets, onyx, saffron and other products,” he added. Last year, the country had 11 stalls.

He said that he wants to double the number of traders at next year’s fair.  “This year, we were having issues with e-visas. They have still not resumed for traders in Afghanistan. Most traders (are those) who were already here in India — only they are able to participate.”

Shah added that there were more than 50 requests from traders and businesses in Afghanistan to participate in this year’s fair, but most were unable to secure an e-visa to India.

Though India was among the first countries to offer Afghans a single-entry e-visa facility after the Taliban takeover, reports indicate that only roughly 300 e-visas have been issued by the Indian government thus far, that too mostly for Afghan Sikhs and Hindus.


Also Read: Move to India or trust Taliban? Kabul’s Sikhs in doubt, 2 months after IS attack on gurudwara


E-visa, transport issues persist

ThePrint spoke to dry fruits trader Ismail Kalakhail who had a stall at the fair last year.

“I have been selling dry fruits in India for the past 15 years. About six months ago, I returned to Afghanistan to visit my mother who is unwell. Three to four months ago, I applied for an e-visa to be part of the trade fair, but I still have not got it,” he said.

42-year-old Kalakhail, who is currently in Kabul, owns a dry fruits store in Noida’s Great India Place Mall which is being run by his Indian staff. His company, Nawi Aqchi Wal, has been exhibiting at the fair since 2013.

A look at Kalakhail’s passport reveals that he had last come to India on 10 August 2021 — five days before the Taliban takeover — on a one-year visa.

Last year, ThePrint reported that Afghan traders at the fair cited difficulties due to absence of direct flights between Delhi and Kabul. Many also aired concerns about the security situation back home.

These issues appear to persist this year, too.

26-year-old Navid Hussain, who was representing his family’s carpet company — Ayan Organic Trading — at the fair this year, told ThePrint that his family imports the carpets and other upholstery goods from Afghanistan through air corridors.

 Carpet Stall of Ayan Organic Trading Ltd at IITF | Photo: Pia Krishnankutty | ThePrint

Carpet Stall of Ayan Organic Trading Ltd at IITF | Photo: Pia Krishnankutty | ThePrint

“There are still issues at the Wagah border. Not only does it take longer to import through the land border, sometimes the goods aren’t even allowed by the Pakistan side,” he said.

Currently, Pakistan only allows Afghanistan to export goods to India through the Attari-Wagah border, and on an exceptional basis allows Indian humanitarian aid to be sent to Afghanistan. Islamabad doesn’t allow any other two-way trade through the border crossing.

(Edited by Theres Sudeep)


Also Read: Nameless airport, IS attack, Delhi paan, vanilla ice cream — Kabul, a year after Taliban return


 

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